


Shifting Sands

by Pfain Ryder (Cat_Moon)



Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 14:47:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19889578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Pfain%20Ryder
Summary: Coming out to the family is never easy. When Sam and Al visit Tom with the intention of telling him about their relationship, things don't go exactly according to plan. It will either tear brotherly bonds apart, or bring them closer together than ever.  Post-leap.





	Shifting Sands

I leaned against the railing, snuggled in the harbor of Al's arms, gazing out over the ocean. A slice of moon was shimmering across the water, as if the heavens were merging with the earth. On the boardwalk behind us, a young man sang and played guitar for spare change.

Pressing his lips close to my ear, Al sang along softly. "...quarter moon walkin' across the milky way; you and me baby, we could think of something to do..."

"Right _here_?" I teased. He bit my ear for the interruption, and I yelped.

When the song was over, the guitar player began _Please Come to Boston._

"I'm glad we came," Al said abruptly, wrapping his arms tighter around me.

"You really are?"

He nodded against my skin.

In the beginning, Al had been reluctant to accompany me on the visit with my brother, even though it was him who had insisted, dragged me to Florida, saying I needed a vacation. I knew who really needed the rest. With everything he'd had to deal with all those years I was leaping around in time, Al deserved it more than I did. To see him so relaxed...he was like a different person. Knowing that gave me a soul-deep contentment.

"Me, too," I told him.

"We may change our minds, once we tell Tom about us," he reminded.

"It'll be okay, Al." And I'd make sure of it. Tom was career military, now a teacher at Pensacola... but I'd convinced the most stubborn Admiral in the fleet, I could handle Tom.

Al turned to me, and smiled into my eyes. "Let's dance," he said, leading me towards the middle of the boardwalk.

My eyes widened in amazed, delighted surprise. Al pulled me to him, and we swayed together under the stars, not caring who passed by.

"I can't believe you're doing this...here," I whispered.

Al moved back enough to look into my eyes, intensity burning in his. "I generally don't give up something I've fought so hard for." And he kissed me, right there.

I loved him more in that moment than I ever had before.

The mood wrapped around me with a mellow glow; the magical night whispering in the surf at our doorstep. I was finally home, in Al's arms. The exhilaration I felt at being there with him left me drunk with freedom. More importantly, Al was letting me know how he felt about us, showing his commitment for all the world to see. As long as I had that, no problem was insurmountable.

XXX

Holding hands and giggling like a couple of kids, we unsteadily made our way over the shifting sand. After we'd danced ourselves out, we went for a couple of drinks, then for a walk on the beach. It felt like being on a date. It felt wonderful.

Al took off his jacket and spread it on the sand, gesturing for me to sit down.

"Why thank you, sir," I quipped as Al sat next to me.

"I aim to please," he told me with one of the boyish grins that always made my heart quicken.

"Oh, you do," I whispered, leaning closer to him. As expected, his arm went around me. The next link in the natural progression happened on schedule; our lips met and tongues caressed.

When we parted, Al's eyes glowed with a glint of danger. He pulled me even closer, taking my lips with more intensity. Hands slipped into my shirt to rub my chest, play with my nipples.

The warning lights were going off behind my closed lids; feelings almost at the level of no return. After all those years of not being able to touch, any little sensation was enough to send us careening into the realm of passion.

I managed to pull away, even as Al began unbuttoning my shirt.

I stared at him, for the second time that night in amazement. "You really want to...do it right here on the beach?"

Al's dark eyes pinned mine, looking deep, to a place only he saw. "I want you," his voice said, rough with suppressed passion.

I shivered at the words, lost already. Longing centered in my groin and I lay back, pulling him with me, and starting on the buttons of his shirt.

His hip pressed into my body as he leaned over me. I moved slightly, so that his leg was sandwiched between both of mine. He pushed himself into me, trailing wet kisses down my throat.

Becoming Al's lover was proving to be fraught with surprises and personal discoveries. It was so new, I still found myself marveling at the rightness of the feeling; of laying back and just letting it happen. I'd always been very aggressive in bed, this new passivity was thrilling, scary, humbling, and wonderful, all at the same time. I could handle the fear though, Al was a gentle and considerate lover. I, on the other hand, tended to be...kinda rough. We complimented each other perfectly; I liked getting it slow and gentle, Al like it hard and fast--which was probably the biggest surprise we'd had.

Our kisses became more impassioned, tasting of salt and night and love. Our tongues slid against each other hungrily.

"Oh Al..." I moaned into his mouth.

"I wanna take you under the stars..." he murmured between kisses. "Like the sea, pounding into the surf."

"Go for it, killer," I whispered breathlessly.

Al pressed his erection into mine, making me groan with pleasure. He kissed his way down my chest to my stomach, pausing to open my pants when he got there.

My hands fumbled with his belt and zipper, anxious to feel him inside of me. I pushed his pants down as far as I could, grasping his cock and caressing it, as he reached to get the tube of K-Y out of his jacket pocket. We'd laughed in embarrassment when we started carrying the stuff around like that. But it had come in handy on more than one occasion.

I accepted some of the gel and began applying it to him, while he reached under me to coat my opening. The feelings only increased my appetite. I tried to impale myself further on his fingers, my own finding all the special spots that I knew would drive him wild.

It worked as it was supposed to, the fingers left me abruptly. Knowing what was next, I wrapped my arms around my legs, offering myself to him.

I saw the look in his eyes, knew what it meant. Tonight would be no gentle exploration, we were both too hot. Tonight would be...savage. I nodded once, briefly, swallowing my fear as desire curled into my groin. Instead of tentative greeting, Al's cock plunged into me with one deep thrust. I arched back, screaming silently. Then he was thrusting, and the sensations carried me away like a wave, out to sea. In the blink of an eye, my body was no longer under my control.

My arms fell limply at my sides, legs supported on Al's shoulders. My gasps mingled with his harsh cries, as he swept us both away. I'd never felt more entwined with nature. Our rhythm was the rhythm of the waves, the pounding in my ears merged with the sound of the surf. The sharp smell of the ocean merged with the musky smell of sweaty bodies and sex.

One last violent shudder wracked my body as release flooded outward. Al was only seconds behind, uttering a hoarse cry as he came inside me...

"I've taken women here," Al told me quietly, later, when we were dressed and snuggled together against the chill of the night.

"I'm not surprised," I said, grinning.

His eyes sought mine, tender and warm. His hand rose to caress my cheek. "It wasn't like this...like with you."

There was so much meaning behind his simple words. I grabbed the hand, and kissed his palm. "I love you, too."

A short time later, we were heading back to the boardwalk, hand in hand.

XXX

By the time we finally left Gulf Island and drove back to Tom's condo, it was quite late. He had an early day, and, not wanting to wake him, we snuck inside as quietly as we could, like teenagers who broke curfew.

As soon as we were inside the guest room with the door closed, Al pounced. Laughing, we mock-wrestled, ended up falling on the bed in a tangle of limbs and half-removed clothing.

"My turn, lover," I told him, tearing at his pants in an attempt to get rid of them. I settled for pushing them down to his knees, and took his cock in my hand, bending my head to sample its delights.

...And I was jolted upright again, as the door suddenly opened.

Tom stood there for a frozen moment, pile of blankets in his arms. We all seemed to recover at the same instant. I let go of Al, Al scrambled to cover himself with the bedspread, and Tom began backing hastily out of the room.

"I--I'm sorry to--I didn't mean to--sorry," Tom babbled. The door was closed, and we were alone again.

Al was the first to speak. "I don't think that was such a good way to break the news to him," he observed.

"You think? Shit," I swore, jumping out of bed. "I'd better go...try to explain."

Al sat up. "You want me with you? You know I will if you--"

I shook my head, grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Under normal circumstances, I'd want you by my side. But I think I'd better talk to him alone."

"Sure?" Al asked, concern evident in the soft eyes that studied me.

I nodded. "I'll be okay."

"I'm right here."

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him. After a deep breath, I left the bedroom.

XXX

When I walked hesitantly into the living room, Tom was sitting on the couch, glass of amber liquid in his hand.

 _Oh boy,_ I thought. _I've driven him to drink._

I went over, sitting down gingerly on the other end of the couch. "I guess we'd better have a talk."

Tom finally turned his head toward me. Red of embarrassment still tinged his cheeks. "You and Admiral Calavicci," he said in a flat tone.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," I blurted, suppressing the urge to beg him not to hate me. "We wanted to sit down and break it to you gently."

"You're telling me you're gay." Tom turned his head away again.

I took a deep breath, telling myself I would stay calm; would just answer his questions. "I don't believe in labels. If you're asking if I've always been attracted to other men, the answer is...I don't know," I admitted truthfully. "But Al's the only man I've been with."

Tom nodded, still not looking at me. I wondered if it was because he couldn't bear too. "This isn't a game, Sam."

"No, it's not, Tom. It's my life." Emphasis on 'my'. "And nothing you can say will make it go away."

"Is it my fault?"

"What?" I asked in astonishment. Tom was blaming himself for his brother 'going wrong'. I'd expected anger, disgust, or denial. I hadn't expected that. "No, it's not anyone's fault. It's not a _fault_ , either. Al's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Do you realize what you're doing, Sam? Do you really know what you're getting into?"

I suppressed a vicious urge to tell him, graphically. "We love each other," I said with pride.

"I hope so," Tom remarked with a touch of sadness in his voice.

"I know so."

"You don't know...it's not an easy life."

"What would you know about it?" I shot back, almost wishing we were really arguing, instead of this weird conversation.

Tom gave me an odd look, but said nothing.

"Would you mind interpreting that?"

"I _know_ ," Tom almost whispered, then finally looked me in the eye. "I should have told you a long time ago. I'm gay, Sam."

It was my turn to stare. "You're...gay? Is this a joke?"

"I wish it was. I've been through hell, living a double life. Always afraid the Navy would find out somehow." He smirked. "I spent a lot of celibate years."

"That's impossible!" I insisted.

Tom grinned slightly. "For you, yeah. But some of us have more self-restraint."

"You know what I'm talking about!" I said in exasperation, barely aware that the conversation had totally reversed.

"More impossible than you and the Admiral?" Tom asked me. "Think about it, Sam. Didn't you ever notice I displayed a certain...lack of interest in the opposite sex?"

For some reason, the leap I spent in Vietnam popped into my mind. Tom, nearly ignoring Maggie the photographer, while the rest--including me--were all over her. At the time I assumed he was only acting in the best interests of the troop. Now, the pieces started adding up. He hadn't dated much in high school either; a couple of girls until he went off to boot camp.

"Your girlfriends always said you were such a perfect gentleman."

He saw the light dawning in my expression. "So we have something in common, little brother."

"You didn't tell me!" I blurted, hurt.

Tom smiled ruefully. "You always looked up to me, I was afraid you wouldn't understand."

I joined his grin. "Actually, I probably wouldn't have...not in those days."

"I thought maybe, somehow I--so it's not my fault?"

It's actually quite common for more than one sibling to be gay, but I sensed if I told Tom that, it would only add to his guilt. I shook my head, and smiled. "It's Al's fault."

And mine. Through our years of close friendship and partnership, through the years of leaping. All the things Al sacrificed for me. All the things I owed him and he owed me. We no longer had a choice, if we'd ever had. We belonged to each other.

"It took us a long time to admit we were in love with each other."

"It took me a long time to admit I was gay," Tom confessed. "I joined the Navy, hoping they could 'cure' me."

My brother and I had a lot to learn about each other.

I moved closer and put a comforting hand on his arm, wondering if he'd ever had anyone to talk to before this. "It's the twenty-first century, Tom. The anti-discrimination laws are reality now. You don't have to live in the past anymore. There's nothing wrong with being gay."

"Maybe." He looked skeptical, but there was also a small flicker of hope. I knew what Tom felt; Al had gone through a similar problem, although the irresistible desire for me cut through that bullshit in record time. They were both products of the old ways, and Tom would need time to accept his place in the new world.

And maybe, now that he knew about us, we could show him.

**the end**

1/8/93


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